The dim glow of a neon motel sign and a single street lamp flickered, casting erratic shadows across the cracked pavement.
Nicky stood under its faltering light, her breath faintly visible in the cold Oregon night air. Constantly on edge, she glanced nervously around at the few scattered vehicles: a handful of weather-beaten sedans and a lone semi-truck, all seemingly abandoned in the late-hour silence.
Slowly, she pulled a pack of cigarettes from her back pocket and lit one up, taking a cold drag. As she released a cloud of smoke, the stress of the day began to drain away.
“That hits the spot.” she said, feeling her shoulders start to relax.
Nicky had never been a smoker in her past, but the pressure and unease of the last few months had left her desperate for some kind of escape. As she exhaled, she noticed a small side lot she had forgotten to check during her earlier rounds.
‘Oh shit, no no no,’ she thought, panic washing over her.
The cigarette in her hand fell, the butt burned her jeans as it bounced off, landing on the concrete. She didn’t notice. Her gaze remained locked in place.
There, at the far end of the lot, barely visible in the cold dark night, was the unmistakable sight of a white Dodge truck with a dented bumper and a blue and orange Bronco logo in the rear window. It was him.
It couldn’t be. She had done everything right. How had he possibly found her again? Nicky felt her heart pound as she recapped all the steps the shelter had told her to take. It seemed impossible, yet there was no doubt in her mind that the truck belonged to him.
She scanned the desolate motel parking lot, her eyes darting back and forth frantically. ‘Maybe if I just scream, come on Nicky! Just scream! Someone will help,’ She tried to convince herself. Deep down however, she knew better, this place wasn’t for heroes. No one was coming to save her this time. She was alone.
“Hello Nicky. You've been a hard girl to track down.” The voice came from behind her, cold and familiar. She turned fully now, dread pooled in her stomach as she saw locked eyes with the devil, attached to the body of the man she once loved.
The devil who had fueled her nightmares for the past six months. His eyes were cold and empty, dulled by drugs and alcohol. The scratches and bruises on her arms ached, a constant reminder of her time with him and of the terror she had tried so hard to escape.
“I’m not coming, Darryl. Not this time. It’s over,” she said, her voice trembling.
Darryl smirked, raising a gun to aim at her chest. “Just get in the car, Nicky. I don’t have time for these games. I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, though his eyes betrayed his true intentions.
He loved torturing her. His threats were never empty. She watched, frozen in palace, as he advanced slowly, the gun steady in one hand, a rope swinging ominously from the other.
Instinctively, she put her hands out, she stared at the faint marks from her last escape attempt. Maybe death wouldn’t be the worst option. At least it would end this nightmare.
An almost supernatural chill surrounded Nicky. The wildlife around her, previously buzzing with life, became eerily silent. Without warning, the night sky glowed bright, a strange orangish hue covering the area around them.
Her eyes darted up, suddenly forgetful of the dire situation she was in. High above them with an almost supernatural silence given its immense size, was a large, unrecognizable object that hovered in the sky. Its size dwarfed anything she had ever seen before, easily covering the length of four football stadiums.
She looked over at Darryl; the look of complete shock in his gaze caused him to rest his gun down by his side as he stared up into the night sky.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Nicky lunged forward, wrestling the gun from Darryl’s grip. A shot rang out, and Darryl fell to the ground, clutching his side.
“YOU BITCH”, he said as he tried to re aim the gun in her direction.
Her heart raced as she seized the moment. If she was going to act, it had to be now. She kicked his hand, the impact causing the gun to discharge another bullet, this time into Darryl’s foot. The kickback sent the weapon skittering across the ground between them.
Without thinking, she dove for the gun, reaching it mere seconds before him. She lifted the barrel and pulled the trigger. The deafening blast echoed through the night as she watched Darryl lay motionless on the ground.
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“Oh god! What have I done?” she said.
Emotions crashed over her like waves, overwhelming and chaotic. Tears streamed down her face, a confusing mix of relief, sadness, and something she couldn’t quite name. Her body felt like jelly; she dropped the gun and knelt down on one knee, trembling.
Even after everything he had done, Nicky felt an inexplicable urge to help him as he lay there, helpless. Despite the terror and the pain, she couldn’t shake the memory of the man he once was.
Suddenly, a familiar yet otherworldly voice boomed in her ears, as if out of thin air. It was unmistakably Morgan Freeman’s voice, like when he played God in Bruce Almighty, a movie she had nearly forgotten until this very moment.
"Attention, Earthlings,
You have been chosen to compete for eternal freedom. To qualify for inclusion in the Galactic Enterprises, you must supply your best and brightest to complete a series of tasks designed to prove your worth.
To qualify, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be a human
- Be between the ages of 18 and 80 years old
- Be strong and mighty warriors of your species
We have collected and stored census data for all individuals on Earth. It is required that at least one member from every household competes. If no one from your household raises their hand, one of you will be chosen at random to participate in the games. If your species fails to succeed in the games, your planet will be eradicated. Choose wisely.
To commit to your place in the games, simply raise your right hand high into the sky.
You have 10 minutes to decide. The fate of your world depends on it."
Nicky felt her body freeze. Who was that? She questioned if maybe she had been shot and this was the white light just before death. She pinched herself, feeling the pain course through her. This didn’t feel like death. She felt the cold air on her face and the pain in her side from where she hit the floor.
She thought back to what they had said. Nicky had been on the road for so long, but before that she had been registered to live in her home with her mother and grandmother.
She couldn’t let either of them be pushed into whatever this competition was. Without second-guessing it, she raised her hand, feeling a warm light wash over her, taking her in its immense glow as she felt herself becoming one with the light.
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Meanwhile, Cal, Zynara, and Dex huddled closely around the holographic feed inside Dex’s office on the second floor. Their eyes were fixed on the descending carrier pods that blanketed Earth's major land masses like a dark shroud. Dex eagerly explained each detail of each major landmark shown as it flashed across the screen.
"There's the Leaning Tower of Pizza," Dex narrated, pointing with a mix of fascination and disbelief. "They call it that because it is leaning and that part of the world loves this food called Pizza, especially their giant turtles. And over there, the towering structure is the Empire State Building. A colossal gorilla once climbed to its peak and had to be shot down by airplane."
Cal's attention drifted from Dex's explanations to the scenes unfolding before them on the hologram. Earth's inhabitants faced a stark choice: who among them would be selected to leave?
As the countdown continued, the number of willing participants steadily climbed. Cal watched in silence, his heart heavy with the weight of their decisions. Each season they picked a different scenario for which part of the population was chosen, he found this one to be particularly evil. He watched as the screen captured brothers fighting to go, single mothers leaving their children with neighbors while they slowly raised their hands into oblivion. He watched as grandfathers, having lived a long fulfilled life raised their hands, sparing their children from whatever evil was about to come.
In those faces, Cal saw echoes of the brave girl he had encountered in the hallway, sacrificing herself to protect others. The raw courage displayed on the screen stirred a mix of admiration and sorrow within him. Doubts that had lingered vanished, replaced by a resolute conviction.
"We're doing the right thing," Cal declared, his voice breaking through Dex's ongoing commentary. "I know it."
Zynara, her ethereal form softly glowing with a hue of concern, nodded in silent agreement. "We believe in you."
The hologram flickered to life again, revealing Zorax Zell's smug face. "Participation in this year's competition has surged beyond expectations. Witness Earth's bravest souls risking everything to compete. We're at 76% participation with four minutes left. Tune in tomorrow as the games commence. Aegis promises an unforgettable journey through Earth's history."
Cal reached over and powered down the hologram, a mixture of disbelief and regret clouding his expression.
"I can't believe I helped build this. All we can do now is hope the girl enters the game as planned and that our backdoor communication holds. Dex, can you still translate for us?" Cal asked.
Dex nodded eagerly, feeling as though he had found himself inside a real life dungeons and dragons campaign. "I'll do my best, soldier."
"Our communication loophole in the UI is still active," Zynara confirmed, her voice tinged with determination. "Once the player database is online, we'll find her identification ID."
“It just updated, welcome Ella Green into the Initiation, or rather contestant 1337. Looks like being on the collections team has its benefits.” Dex replied.
"Good," Cal sighed heavily, the weight of their responsibilities settled upon him. "We couldn’t have done it without you Dex. Let's rest. Tomorrow, we will bring down the Initiation."